Scientists developed a new method to make graphene and graphene-based transistors

A group of scientists from Germany, China and the US has created a Graphene-based transistor composed of 13 benzene rings. This molecule (called Coronene) shows an improved electronic band gap, a property which may help to overcome one of the central obstacles to applying graphene technology for electronics.

The team's new approach to make graphene is bottom up—building up the graphene, molecular piece by piece. To do this, Tao relies on the chemical synthesis of benzene rings, hexagonal structures, each formed from 6 carbon atoms. "Benzene is usually an insulating material, " Tao says. But as more such rings are joined together, the material's behavior becomes more like a semiconductor.

Using this process, the group was able to synthesize a coronene molecule, consisting of 13 benzene rings arranged in a well defined shape. The molecule was then fitted on either side with linker groups—chemical binders that allow the molecule to be attached to electrodes, forming a nanoscale circuit. An electrical potential was then passed through the molecule and the behavior, observed. The new structure displayed transistor properties, showing reversible on and off switches.